Two Steps Back
by fanficwriter191
Summary: My take on Reptilia28's Don't Fear The Reaper Challenge. Harry dies, meets Death and is sent back in time to fulfill his destiny and get the girl. M for language and possibly graphic violence later on.
1. Whoops, I Did It Again

Hello, all readers! This is my take on the extremely popular Don't Fear The Reaper challenge by Reptilia28.

The rules are as follows:

Storyline:

*Harry is killed at 17 during the fight with Voldemort. He's sent to his Death's office (explained later) and finds out that this isn't the first time that this has happened.

*Harry's Death (who can have a human name) is mad at his arrival. Apparently, people dying before their time is a black mark on the various Death's records, and Harry is perilously close too getting this particular one fired.

*When Harry asks what was supposed to have happened, Death goes off on a rant saying how he was supposed to have killed Voldemort, found his soulmate ("Some Granger girl...") and lived to be a centennial age. But since Harry keeps getting into life-threatening situations for one reason or another, he keeps dying before that happens. Harry is surprised about the soulmate part.

*Death gives Harry a paper to sign that allows him to retain his memories (the previous times, he wasn't given this option for some reason). Harry is deposited to a previous time of the author's choosing.

*Eventually, Harry gets it right. He kills Voldemort, gets the girl, and lives to a ripe old age of whatever. And Death doesn't get fired.

Requirements:

*Harry must have died at least three times before this one.

*The memory keeping contract must be included.

*Death must refer to Hermione as "some Granger girl" when Harry's soul mate turn up in his rant.

*Obviously, must be H/Hr

*Have fun

Optional:

*Dumbledore's manipulations can be a factor in Harry's premature demises.

As you'll see, I'll follow the rules, but not quite the spirit of the law, as I'm not really a fan of the whole future memories thing. In addition, while there will not be bashing for the sake of bashing, I'm really not a fan of the whole Ron and Ginny thing. They will likely end up sidelined, especially considering how I have to explain how they split up soulmates. If you readers enjoy this, or think that it can be improved upon, please feel free to leave a review!

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, own Harry Potter, or profit off my use of its characters and settings.

 **Chapter 1: Whoops, I Did It Again**

Harry stood on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, hesitant to proceed, but unwilling to let his friends die at the hands of the madman within. Finally, he mustered the courage to proceed, knowing that he either had to destroy Voldemort or risk letting his friends die. And there was no way that was going to happen; he had to win.

So into the forest he went, praying to whatever divinity ruled the heavens that he would walk out of this alive.

He didn't. After being struck by a killing curse, the soul fragment in his scar was evicted, and Harry stood to face the Dark Lord once again. Though horribly weakened, he managed to stave off the Voldemort's attacks for half an hour, and even send a few in return, with one cutting curse even connecting, until finally, his strength gave out, and he was struck by the killing curse, for the third time, and he knew that he would not survive this one. As death overtook him, Harry was satisfied that his cutting curse had severely wounded the Dark Lord, which should allow his friends to finally win the battle, and sunk gladly into the darkness.

Then suddenly, the darkness turned bright. Harry was sitting in what looked like a muggle hospital waiting room, with florescent lights overhead. Confused, Harry started looking around. _Why am I here?_ He thought. _I was just fighting Voldemort. This makes no sense._

A rather bored sounding woman's voice called out, "Harry Potter!"

He stood and walked toward the source of the voice, a window beside a wooden door. Once he got close enough to see the owner of the voice, he recoiled in shock. The woman had only half her face. _How is she even alive?_ He asked himself. Apparently, she got this a lot, because she grinned and said, "Nope. I'm not alive. Neither are you, for that matter. Now go through that door."

Shocked, Harry obeyed the apparently dead woman's orders. Opening the door, he found himself in what looked like a rather lavish office. Sitting at a desk in the center of this office, was a man in a black cloak, with a scythe sitting in a case behind him. The man said, "Come in, come in. We haven't got all day." At this point he looked up, saw Harry and then started yelling, "Oh come on! Are you determined to get me fired? What kind of idiot manages to die 33 times in the course of one life?!"

"What are you talking about?!" Harry yelled back at the rather belligerent man.

This seemed to calm him down, because he gave Harry a predatory grin, and said, in a much calmer voice, "You are dead. This isn't the first time. Of course, I couldn't expect you to know that, because when you are resurrected, you lose your memories of being dead."

"What do you mean, this isn't the first time?"

"I guess you are an idiot," the man laughed, "It means that this isn't the first time."

"How did I die before?" Harry asked.

"Do you want detailed records?" the man asked with a grin, holding up an over-sized folder.

"No, I guess not," Harry mumbled. "Anyways, what should I call you, and why am I here?"

"Most people call me Death. No, I'm not the only one, just the oldest. You see, I was around back in the day, when we Deaths were allowed to make bargains and whatnot with the living. I set up a trap on a river, and when three wizards cheated me, I made a bargain to create three powerful magical items – I see you know the story. Anyways, long story short, that blew up in my face, and quadrupled my debt. Once any person who has possessed any of those items dies, they are now sent to me. Which puts me in charge of some of the most annoying people in History, ever. Including you."

"So, you created the Deathly Hallows?"

"Yes I did. And since your father left that cloak to you in his will, every damn time you've died, you've come to me. And every time, you put a black mark on my record. Soon I'll be fired. Literally. They send Deaths who've failed to Hell. At least once my debt gets worked off, I have a second chance at life, but that will never happen as long as those damned Hallows exist, or are owned by someone."

"If I died 32 times in the past, then why did I get second chances? Noone else I know died and returned."

"That's because everyone else you know fulfilled their destinies. Your particular destiny was to defeat Voldy, which you actually managed this time around -congrats on that by the way- then go on to live to a very old age, hailed as the second Merlin, living life with your soul mate, as first a Professor, then the Headmaster at Hogwarts, which by the way, was NEVER SUPPOSED TO BE UNDER SIEGE!" Death yelled at Harry. "You've screwed up so many destinies at this point, I will be fired if I don't take drastic measures to save me- us. You see, as it's your fault time has derailed, you'd be going with me when I go, so..."

"How can I fix it then- wait, you said I killed Voldemort?"

"Yes you did, he bled out only moments after I let you in here. He's out in the waiting room yelling his head off. Anyways, I have a way to fix things. We send you back in time, before you royally screwed up. And, if you sign this contract," he said, pulling a large pile of papers out of his desk, "you can even keep your memories, with a couple restrictions. You see, 'memories' work differently when they haven't happened yet. You can't remember exact details, or academics, but the general gist will be available to you, but once you start to change things, it won't be of much use. In addition, this current conversation will be kept, as since it happens outside of time, it works differently. Just remember, we couldn't do this before because you still had a chance of fixing things, but now you don't, so we will do what we must."

"Before I sign that, you mentioned that I had a soulmate?"

"Yes, some Granger girl, you rescued her from a troll or something like that, I dunno, she's not one of my charges."

"And when will I be sent back?"

"Good question. Time happened as it should for your first and second years. But you screwed up in third year. That was when time started going crazy."

"What did I do wrong, and how can I avoid it?"

"You took Divination instead of the classes you were supposed to take, was the first mistake, and secondly, you allowed yourself to start getting dosed with potions that year. Stay away from the red-haired bitch this time. I'll fix your schedule, and you will fix time. Deal?"

After thinking over it for a moment, Harry nodded, and said, "Deal."

 **Also, if anyone is willing to be a beta reader for this story, shoot me a PM, and we'll talk about it.**


	2. The First Ripples Of Change

_**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed my story! It means so much to me to see this kind of response on just my first chapter. I have decided to try to upload 3 times a week, though I haven't decided on a set schedule. In each Sunday to Saturday period, there should be 3 separate chapter uploads. If I have trouble sticking to that, I'll just move down to two updates per week. In addition, I am still seeking a beta reader.**_

 _Last time:_ _After thinking it over for a moment, Harry nodded, and said, "Deal."_

Chapter 2: The First Ripples Of Change

Harry woke up in the room he had rented in the Leaky Cauldron back in third year. Quickly reviewing his memories, he realized that Death was right. He couldn't remember anything clearly after this point in particular. However, he remembered the general gist of what would happen. For instance, he was aware that someone important was going to check on Harry today, and Harry wasn't sure that he wanted to deal with anyone so soon after his return.

Sighing to himself, he stood up. _At least once I change things, I can stop worrying about the dark path of the future._ Then he frowned, as he suddenly realized a huge point of his conversation with Death. _Holy shit, apparently Hermione is my soulmate. But if that was the case, how in the hell did she end up with Ron, especially considering how those two couldn't stand each other? Maybe Death was right about watching out for potions this year. Damn._

Quickly, he got dressed, wanting to get the meeting with the Minister out of the way. He slipped out of his room, going down the main room. There, he saw Minister Fudge. _Act regretful of your actions_ , he told himself. Fudge saw Harry, and then he quickly moved to speak to Harry. Harry quickly put up a face of regret, pretending to be a boy caught in the wrong. As soon as Fudge got close enough, Harry said, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to blow her up!"

Fudge said, "What?" Then, remembering what had happened the day before, said, "Oh, yes, yes. Simply a case of accidental magic, we've already fixed that and had the muggles obliviated." Then he got very serious, saying, "Boy, do you know any magical family that you trust completely?"

Harry thought about it, and instantly threw out the Weasleys. Death had said to stay away from Ginny this year, and Harry wasn't going to risk Hell over past habits. Then he had a thought.

"Well, they're not quite a magical family, but my muggle-born friend, Hermione Granger, and her family, I'm sure that would count."

"Yes, yes, that just might. Send your friend an owl and see if you can stay there for the rest of the summer. It's not safe for you just yet."

Fudge straightened up, and then turned and left the Leaky Cauldron, likely to Apparate to the Ministry.

Harry smiled to himself, thinking, _That might not be a bad idea._

He went up the stairs, back into his room, and quickly wrote up a letter, explaining his situation, and asked if he could stay with them for the remainder of the summer. He then asked Hedwig to deliver the message for him, and gave her an owl treat while tying the envelope to her leg. Hedwig took off, her snowy white feathers beautiful in the morning light, and went off to fulfil her mission.

Harry watched as Hedwig disappeared in the distance, and then he went to eat his breakfast. Twenty minutes later, after enjoying the taste of decently prepared food for the first time in a long while, he decided that he had best be off to start preparing himself for the inevitable war. His destination was Flourish and Blotts, where he would begin by purchasing books on wizarding culture and laws and books on defence. His only question was why he had never bothered with this in the first go through- Riddle had nearly killed him twice in as many years at this point anyway. _Probably Ron's influence_ , he thought. And if that was the case, then he may need to re-evaluate his friendships. He was about to go ahead and buy the books he needed for the school year, but then he realized that Death had said his schedule would change, and Harry did not know which classes he was going to be put into, nor could he remember for sure what the list of required texts was. So, with just these few books, Harry went back off to the Leaky Cauldron, to begin preparing himself for the future.

After reading the book on basic wizard law – which didn't go into ANY particulars, yet was still over a thousand pages long, fine print – for a couple of hours, Harry was now cross eyed from the sheer volume of information he had just taken in. Deciding that he needed a break, he marked his place in the book, and stashed his new belongings in his trunk. He decided to go see if he could make the gold in his accounts grow. Not that he particularly cared about his finances, he was already set for life, but this might just be a way to make an alliance with the goblins easier, as he certainly did not want to have to break into Gringotts again. Again, the particulars of that adventure failed him, but he seemed to recall that the adventure went abysmally.

He left the Leaky Cauldron, saying goodbye to Tom, the owner, and walked down Diagon Alley, ignoring the stares and whispers of the passers-by. He walked down the entire length, until at last, he arrived at Gringotts. He sauntered in, and up to one of the goblin tellers, and asked if he could meet with the manager for the Potter account. The goblin looked up, giving the race's usual predatory grin. "Do you have an appointment?" He asked in a voice that nearly sent shivers down Harry's back.

Harry responded, "No, I do not, but if I require one, then I will be happy to make an appointment."

The goblin's grin grew even wider. "One moment." The goblin got off his seat, and walked off towards a door in the back, and disappeared through it. After a painful few minutes that felt like an eternity, the goblin returned. With that same grin, he returned, and said, "The manager is unavailable. When would you like an appointment?"

"At your earliest convenience," Harry responded.

The goblin's grin wavered in surprise, and then it widened. He said, "Two days. Noon. Be on time, or we will charge a fee."

"Very well, I will be here at that time," said Harry, and he turned and left.

Harry decided to, on his way back to the Leaky Cauldron, stop at Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, as he hadn't had this ice cream in a while either. _Damn_ , he thought to himself, _that war really did mess with a lot._ After enjoying his ice cream, he went back to the Leaky Cauldron, and returned to his room. There, he found Errol, the Weasley's owl waiting for him. Dubious, he took the letter from the owl.

The letter was nearly useless, offering no solid information, just that it wasn't safe, and he should probably go stay with them for the remainder of the summer.

 _I can't remember exactly what the issue is. Damn you, Death, wouldn't something like this not be one of those 'details' you mentioned? All I can remember for sure is that someone is innocent of something. Damn. Why is it so hard to remember anything for sure? Anyways, I'm definitely not going into the Weasley home. Too dangerous. I can't afford a mistake, Death seemed pretty adamant that this was THE last time, and the time travel is probably against whatever rules bind him. I'm not risking Hell for the sake of old friends, especially ones who are apparently responsible for drugging me and my apparent soulmate._

Since Errol was still there, waiting for Harry's response, Harry decided to go ahead and write the return letter, giving them a half-truth, that he already had plans to stay somewhere else for the remainder of the summer. He quickly drafted his response and tied it to the ancient owl's leg, giving Errol a treat as he did so. He sent off the owl, hoping that the Weasleys accepted his story and didn't ambush him this summer.

Now that he had nothing better to do, he decided to pass the time waiting for Hedwig's return by studying his defence book, which was about the theory behind combat magics, because Harry had lost all his hard-learned combat magic in the time warp. Right now, the best he could do was disarm people or levitate things, and that just wouldn't cut it in the fight against Voldemort.

Late that evening, when Harry realized how long he had been reading, he marked his place and decided that he should go ahead and eat, as he noticed that Hedwig had not yet returned. So, he went down to the tavern and saw Hagrid, who he remembered was a regular here, and had a tendency to spill secrets he shouldn't. Thinking that he could take advantage of that to get a reminder on the specific threat of this year, he went over to him.

"Hello, Hagrid."

Hagrid looked up in surprise, and said, "'Arry! What are ye doing 'ere? Don't ye know it isn't safe?"

"That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about, Hagrid," Harry responded smoothly. "I have a plan to get to safety, but I need to know what the danger is to properly avoid it."

Hagrid looked surprised. Harry cursed himself. _Crap, I forgot that at this age, I had more of a reckless, charge into battle method of dealing with issues. Now I'll probably have to explain why I now have a plan of action! Shit!_

Hagrid responded, "Very well. The man who betrayed yer parents, 'Arry, 'e escaped Azkaban. Sirius Black, 'is name was."

"And you think he's after me?"

"It's possible," Hagrid replied gloomily.

"Don't worry, Hagrid," said Harry, "I do have a plan, at least for the summer. The final details should be set soon. Then, Hogwarts should be enough to keep me safe."

That seemed to cheer Hagrid up. Bidding Hagrid farewell, Harry went off to get something to eat, before returning to his room. There, he found Hedwig, who was carrying a reply letter. Harry was stunned to see that Hermione had managed to reply to him so quickly. Harry took the letter from Hedwig, and fed her. Before opening the letter though, he thought about his conversation with Hagrid. Apparently, Sirius Black, a name Harry recognized, but couldn't quite place, was after him. Again, he cursed Death's inability to let him keep at least some usable information. At least, if Black was unfamiliar with the muggle world, then Harry would be safe there. And if he wasn't able to hide out there, then Harry would probably be safe here, a place where there was a consistent large number of witnesses. Now, Harry realized, he was just delaying reading Hermione's letter. Why he would have jitters over something this simple, he wasn't really sure, but he blamed Death for putting the idea of soulmates into his head. Hesitantly, he opened the envelope.


	3. Temporary Status Update

Sorry for no chapter this time, and I know that uploading a status update as a chapter is not allowed, so I'll delete it when my temporary hiatus is over. Just so no one worries, I am alive, and planning on updating, but things changed here, and now I have to get ready to move and my college semester starts up soon. Once this all slows down, I'll resume posting regularly, as for now, I'll post when I can. (I'll add this warning to the start of the next chapter and delete the status update). Sorry for the inconvenience.


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